The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is verifying a reported regrouping of terrorists after the armed conflict in Marawi City last year, a spokesman said Monday.

“The AFP is continuously monitoring and verifying every information related to any alleged movements of terror groups,” Brig. Gen. Bienvinido Datuin said.

“We are in constant coordination with our foreign and local counterparts to address the scourge of terrorism,” he added.

Australian Ambassador Amanda Gorely said in a news report that based on the intelligence information shared with the Philippine government there were evidence that terrorists are regrouping after the Marawi siege.

Datuin emphasized that “the main concern of the security sector is not only to address the armed component but the financial and logistics line of terrorist organizations.”

“There will always be a gap in the security measures being implemented by every nation in the world, big or small. Terrorists will always look into those gaps and take advantage of them,” he said.

“We aim to strengthen our security measures with the help of our citizens in order to fill in those gaps,” he added.

Datuin reiterated the AFP’s call for the cooperation of the people to help government forces in its fight against terrorism.

“The fight against terrorism is not the sole responsibility of the government or the security sector but of every citizen of the republic,” he said. Robina Asido/DMS